State fines Englewood assisted living facility

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.

The state has fined a 20-bed assisted living facility in Englewood $12,500 after three inspections in early 2012 led to citations for negligence.

Crestwood Manor owner Marie Clarke, who bought the facility in 2008, said Tuesday that personnel problems leading to the lapses in care have been resolved and that the place is "under new management."

In December, she said, she replaced Crestwood Manor's administrator with a former employee, who came out of retirement to resume her post.

The state's scrutiny of Crestwood Manor followed an incident on Jan. 21, 2012, when 13 residents, some with dementia and all with medical problems, were left alone at the facility for almost three hours. When an aide arrived for her shift at 11 p.m., one of the residents handed her the key to the medication cart, according to a state report.

State regulators who visited Crestwood Manor to investigate said that the single employee on duty had left at about 8:10 p.m. that night, after calling the administrator to say he was sick and being told to stay until 11 p.m. anyway. The employee was fired two days after leaving his post.

He had left the medicine cart key with one resident, a former Merchant Marine, who had a cellphone and told regulators he would have called 911 if necessary.

Asked why the employee left him in charge, the state report said, "he chuckled and said, 'Look around. Some of these people would not be able to handle it.'"

Regulators then required Crestwood Manor to have two employees on every shift, as long as it housed residents with dementia or mobility issues.

State officials visited the facility again last March after receiving a complaint about an aide verbally and mentally abusing residents. They interviewed residents and heard the employee described as "a mean person" who yelled at them and denied them food.

One resident told inspectors that when she asked for help cleaning her room after a toilet accident, the aide handed her a mop. Another said the aide pulled him forcibly out of chair, hurting his arthritic arm and shoulder.

Clarke told state regulators that she did not realize the problem with the aide was "so widespread," the report said. The aide was dismissed.

Inspectors last June found the facility deficient in its care of four residents who had lost significant amounts of weight.

Subsequent visits found that Crestwood Manor had corrected the deficiencies.

The fines were levied this month.

Clarke, who works full-time as an engineer and visits Crestwood on weekends, said it has taken her time to find and retain reliable employees.

"All it takes is one person to make everyone look bad, and if I experience it, I dismiss them," she said. "The industry itself has its stresses, but overall our facility is excellent."

The home now has 16 residents, Clarke said, including some enrolled in government assistance programs.

"The regular Joe Blow with only Social Security or veterans' benefits to live on" can no longer afford the full cost of assisted living, Clarke said, placing pressure on small facilities like hers.

"People just prepare to retire," she said. "They don't prepare to age. We all know that, so I'm trying to help."

<p>The state has fined a 20-bed assisted living facility in Englewood $12,500 after three inspections in early 2012 led to citations for negligence.</p><p>Crestwood Manor owner Marie Clarke, who bought the facility in 2008, said Tuesday that personnel problems leading to the lapses in care have been resolved and that the place is "under new management." </p><p>In December, she said, she replaced Crestwood Manor's administrator with a former employee, who came out of retirement to resume her post.</p><p>The state's scrutiny of Crestwood Manor followed an incident on Jan. 21, 2012, when 13 residents, some with dementia and all with medical problems, were left alone at the facility for almost three hours. When an aide arrived for her shift at 11 p.m., one of the residents handed her the key to the medication cart, according to a state report.</p><p>State regulators who visited Crestwood Manor to investigate said that the single employee on duty had left at about 8:10 p.m. that night, after calling the administrator to say he was sick and being told to stay until 11 p.m. anyway. The employee was fired two days after leaving his post. </p><p>He had left the medicine cart key with one resident, a former Merchant Marine, who had a cellphone and told regulators he would have called 911 if necessary. </p><p>Asked why the employee left him in charge, the state report said, "he chuckled and said, 'Look around. Some of these people would not be able to handle it.'" </p><p>Regulators then required Crestwood Manor to have two employees on every shift, as long as it housed residents with dementia or mobility issues.</p><p>State officials visited the facility again last March after receiving a complaint about an aide verbally and mentally abusing residents. They interviewed residents and heard the employee described as "a mean person" who yelled at them and denied them food.</p><p>One resident told inspectors that when she asked for help cleaning her room after a toilet accident, the aide handed her a mop. Another said the aide pulled him forcibly out of chair, hurting his arthritic arm and shoulder.</p><p>Clarke told state regulators that she did not realize the problem with the aide was "so widespread," the report said. The aide was dismissed.</p><p>Inspectors last June found the facility deficient in its care of four residents who had lost significant amounts of weight.</p><p>Subsequent visits found that Crestwood Manor had corrected the deficiencies.</p><p>The fines were levied this month.</p><p>Clarke, who works full-time as an engineer and visits Crestwood on weekends, said it has taken her time to find and retain reliable employees. </p><p>"All it takes is one person to make everyone look bad, and if I experience it, I dismiss them," she said. "The industry itself has its stresses, but overall our facility is excellent."</p><p>The home now has 16 residents, Clarke said, including some enrolled in government assistance programs.</p><p>"The regular Joe Blow with only Social Security or veterans' benefits to live on" can no longer afford the full cost of assisted living, Clarke said, placing pressure on small facilities like hers. </p><p>"People just prepare to retire," she said. "They don't prepare to age. We all know that, so I'm trying to help."</p>